Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand

Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand
⭐⭐⭐

This was one heck of a book. Set in the early 1900s, this narrative stars Pin - a fifteen year old girl who lives in an amusement park and disguises herself as a boy. When young girls begin to go missing and start to turn up murdered, Pin enlists the help of Henry Darger, one of the earliest and most famous outsider artists, to help solve these dastardly crimes and find the killer. 

Curious Toys highlighted so many political issues in our world. Elizabeth Hand comments on capitalism, homophobia, misogony, racism, pedophilia, abusal of power, body dysmorphia, ableism, and even sexual assault - and she does it all with such grace and finesse. It was such a treat to see how the author effortlessly implemented these themes throughout the story.

I gave this book 3 stars but it's honestly one of my favorite books I've read this year. There are only two things that I can criticize, the first being the rushed ending. The whole story is perfectly paced, but as we near the ending, the climax and resolution feel as though they were thrown together quickly. Also, the final pages, which take place after the killer is revealed, are really disappointing and unsatisfying. In addition to that, the killer's identity was very predictable. It was so obvious that I mistakenly thought it was supposed to be a redherring!

The story of Curious Toys was so magical, and it's such a bummer that the ending was so frustrating. This is such a special story though and it's a great example of historical fiction done right!